Northwest Trip

On our last day of fun stuff on vacation, we drove from Redding to the north end of Lassen Volcanic National Park and went to the small museum and bookstore. I got my National Parks passport stamped and the weather was low 60’s and overcast, so a good day for hiking. We walked the Lily Pond Trail that started across the road. It’s an interpretive trail that winds around for a mile with markers to explain the trees and plants, which is good for me because I’m a flower person, not a tree person. [Read more…] about Lassen Volcanic National Park

On Day 17 we were in California and still progressing down Highway 101. We passed through Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and on down 101, thus bypassing the drive through the tall trees. Oops. We stopped at Kuchel Visitor Center and discovered our error. So we took the park map they gave us and went up the scenic parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. [Read more…] about Redwood National Park

So it took us three days to see all the lighthouses on the Oregon coast because we were doing OTHER stuff on those days, too. Like visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory on Day 15. [Read more…] about Sandwiched in the middle of the lighthouse quest

I wanted to visit lighthouses while we were in the Northwest and we went to a couple in Washington.  Soon after crossing the border into Oregon I became aware that there are nine historic lighthouse on the Oregon coast and became obsessed with the idea of making a pilgrimage to each one on our trip south along the coast.  This actually sounds easier than it is to accomplish because they all have their own quirky open days and times.  We did it in three days of travel so I was pretty proud of us, although it involved a little backtracking and supreme patience on Scott’s part. [Read more…] about 9 Oregon lighthouses

We started Day 14 with a visit to Fort Stevens, which is now an Oregon State Park. In a past life it was a Civil War-era nine-sided earthworks fort. There is a reconstruction on the site of this 1863 fort with the entrance into the earthworks.Ft. Stevens was also used for coastal defense during WWI and WWI and there are still gun batteries to climb over and view, plus an interesting museum detailing the history of the fort.  We clambered and hiked all over and also saw the foundations of WWII barracks and the site of a Native American village. [Read more…] about Columbia River adventures